Context: The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), India’s primary source for labor statistics, lacks a clear classification of Gig Workers. Gig workers are subsumed under broad categories such as ‘self-employed’, ‘own-account workers’, or ‘casual labour’ in the PLFS. This leads to their under-representation in official data.
🧑💻 Gig Workers in India: Legal & Policy Overview
🔹 Definition under Code on Social Security, 2020
Gig Worker: One who earns from activities outside a traditional employer–employee relationship.
Platform Work: Use of an online platform by individuals or organisations to provide or receive specific services in return for payment.
Gig workers are distinct from formal and informal workers.
📊 Gig Economy in Numbers
Current Size: ~77 lakh workers (1.5% of India’s workforce)
Projected by 2029-30: 2.35 crore workers
(NITI Aayog, “India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy” report, 2022)
⚠️ Challenges Faced by Gig Workers
Non-recognition as employees
Income & job insecurity
High platform commissions & penalties
Lack of access to social security
No collective bargaining or trade unions
Poor career growth and skilling opportunities
📉 Issues with Labour Data (PLFS)
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):
Gig workers are not clearly identified.
Categorised under broad terms like self-employed, own-account worker, or casual labour.
Implications:
Statistical invisibility: Gig workers’ realities are underrepresented in data.
Policy gaps: Misclassification undermines schemes under the Code on Social Security, such as:
Social Security Fund
National Social Security Board
2025 PLFS update: While it improved sample size and estimates, it did not include separate gig work identification.
🏛️ Government Statement:
No update in PLFS to specifically identify gig workers. However, all paid economic activity, including gig work, is counted as employment.
✅ Way Forward: NITI Aayog Recommendations
Data Collection:
Modify PLFS to capture gig & platform work data.
Platform India Initiative:
On the lines of Start-up India for support, funding, skilling.
Financial Inclusion:
Classify unsecured loans to gig workers as Priority Sector Lending.
Skilling:
Encourage platform companies to issue skill certificates.
Social Inclusion:
Partner with NGOs to include women and vulnerable groups.
Social Security:
Provide paid sick leave, accident insurance, etc., inspired by Indonesia’s model.